Falling branches on Hallam Road, next to Putney Lower Common, have caused serious concern for residents and for the charity that runs the Commons.
Two branches have come off the road’s London plane trees since March, raising fears of a disease called Massaria. The fungus rots plane branches on their upper side, close to the trunk, and drops them without warning. Nobody on the ground can reliably see it, so an infected branch could come down at any time.
So Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators (WPCC) is paying for climbers to check all 13 planes on the road from the canopy. The survey will cost about £22,000, more than the charity’s whole tree safety budget for the year, before a single branch is cut.
Residents have raised the trees with the charity repeatedly. Hallam Road is a lovely street, and a heavily planted one: the planes were surveyed in December and worked on in March, and branches have come down since.
The two that fell showed no sign of Massaria; the charity believes strong winds brought them down while the trees were in full leaf. But the disease is already on the Commons, and WPCC’s own tree team has cut infected branches off planes elsewhere.
The Commons has more than 120 London planes. Around 60 of them, the ones beside main roads or homes, are expected to need a closer inspection regime.
For Hallam Road, the charity has brought in a specialist tree contractor and a London plane expert alongside its usual safety consultant, and two of its own climbing arborists will go up too. Outside tree contractors usually need about 12 weeks’ notice, and any work the survey calls for is likely to be spread over several years so the trees are not stressed by too much cutting at once.
Elsewhere on the Commons
A speed gun for the Keepers. The Commons’ mounted Keepers now carry a speed gun. Chief executive Colin Cooper reported to the board this month “a marked increase” in fast traffic on shared paths: mainly powerful, privately owned e-bikes, along with cyclists riding too fast and cars where they are allowed. Walkers, dog walkers and the Keepers’ own horses are all at risk, and e-bikes give little warning because they are so quiet.
The gun will record speeds, show where the worst spots are and back up action against riders who break the Commons’ byelaws. It arrives with the Keepers stretched: two are on long-term sick leave, and only half the team can ride at the moment.
Cricket nets refused at Roehampton Vale. The Richardson Evans Memorial Playing Fields in Roehampton Vale are already heavily used. Its ten football pitches are fully booked at weekends, and this March’s Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens rugby tournament brought more than 16,000 participants. WPCC wanted to add two artificial cricket wickets and a four-bay practice net, saying the two secondary schools that play there run out of cricket space in summer.
Kingston Council refused the plan in September. It said the scheme would harm the openness of protected open land, that it fell short of the 10 per cent gain for wildlife that planning rules require, and that fire safety details were missing. All four national sports bodies that commented objected, cricket’s own included: the England and Wales Cricket Board said the wickets and nets ran roughly west to east, which would cause problems with the setting sun. The FA said the layout would limit the chance to enlarge or reorient the football pitches in future. More than a dozen people objected.
WPCC can appeal. Its own web page on the plan still describes the application as submitted.
Litter at Rushmere. Rushmere, the corner of the Common beside Wimbledon Village, is 1 per cent of the Commons but takes about half of the litter ranger’s time, the worst of it during the Wimbledon Championships. July’s board minutes record that the board suggested asking the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) and the Wimbledon Village Business Association for sponsorship or other contributions towards litter management, noting that previous approaches had not been successful. It agreed further discussions would be worthwhile, and is considering hiring seasonal litter pickers.
